In short, the answer to your question is most likely to be “Yes!”
But, let’s look at some details. The fact is that this question is the one that I hear most often in the e-mails that I receive from this particular site. A lot of people are interested in moving to the Philippines, it seems, but many of those who want to move here feel that they will need to have a job here to support them. Right now, I am not going to get into a discussion about working here (we’ll save that for tomorrow), but rather the legalities of whether you will be allowed to work here.
The easiest way that you can become legal to work here is by acquiring a resident visa to live here. If you are legally able to live here indefinitely then you are also allowed to work here, generally speaking. This would mean that if you have some kind of resident visa that allows you to live here without having to leave from time to time, then you should be able to legally seek employment.
If you are here on a more temporary basis, like on a tourist visa or some other kind of more “temporary” visa, it is still possible that you may be able to obtain permission to be employed here.
What does the law say?
1. Foreigners who wish to work in the Philippines must obtain a Work Permit before gaining employment, with the following exceptions (people who do not need a work permit):
- Members of the Diplomatic Service accredited by the Philippine Government.
- Officers of International Organizations (such as the UN) that the Philippines is a member of, and their spouses.
- Foreign Nationals who are elected to the Governing Board of a company here, provided that they seek no other employment than the Governing Board.
- Any Foreign National granted exemption by special law.
- People from Foreign Companies who come here temporarily to interview Filipinos for positions abroad.
- Teachers who are here as visiting, exchange or adjunct Professors at Philippine Universities, provided that the Universities in the Philippines and the other country have a valid agreement.
- Resident Foreign Nationals
So, due to the last point, a person like me who is a Resident Alien in the Philippines can legally work without need for a work permit. For most who read this site, the last point above would be the easiest way to gain the right to work here.
If you are not able to be legally employed by the above provisions, there is still a method for you to gain the right to work here. First, you must file an application for an “AEP” (Alien Employment Permit). With the application (which is filed at the Dept of Labor and Employment office “DOLE”) you will need to submit: Photocopy of your Passport, Contract of Employment, Photocopy of the business’ Mayor’s Permit to operate the business, a Photocopy of your current AEP (if you are renewing). Along with the application you will be required to pay a fee of P8,000 for the application. This fee will cover you for one year. If the term of employment is to be more than one year, you can gain multiple years, but must pay an addition P3,000 per additional year on the AEP. The DOLE will publish details of your application for public inspection, and provided that you have met all the requirements, and that nobody has protested the issuance upon seeing the publication, your AEP will be issued and you may then be employed.
Your AEP may be canceled under certain provision too, but basically, as long as you stay on good behavior, and in compliance with Philippine laws, you are generally safe.
Now, what happens if you work without a permit? Well, it is not pleasant! The DOLE may fine you up to P10,000 for every year (or portion of a year) that you worked without an AEP. Prison terms can also be issued, although fines and deportation are the most common remedy for those working without a permit.
So, as you can see, you can get a work permit and work here! If you are a resident, you don’t even need a permit to work here. But, the next question is this:
Would you want to work here?
Tune in tomorrow for my commentary about working here.
Great article I found that the best answer ever thank you…can i have a job please?
Hi John – I'm glad that my article was able to clear some things up for you! I do believe that you should be able to get a work permit if you try! 🙂
hi bob for the salaries paid in the philippines i would rather stay in bed .with the odd exception phil is aplace to spend money or liviein while you live of your offshore asset base . not acountry to work in and live of your salary.well thats my opinion.
Hi Frank – If you are talking of working for others, I agree 100%. I enjoy being self employed here, though. The reason I wrote this piece (and the one coming tomorrow), though, is not to promote working here, but rather to address the hundreds of e-mails that I get from people asking me what kind of a job they can get here. I think after they read tomorrow's column, they might start thinking differently about looking for work here! 😀
sorry bob working for others is exactly what i was refering to .the odd exception being working for yourself.i do not get turned on by the thouhtof earning 5 dollars aday .hence i would rather stay in bed.if i do deside to retife in phil iwould become involved in filling alarge gap in the market solar energy systems for low cost and medium cost housing .but just to keep my pea brain occupied not for the income.
Hi Frank – Ah, come on! $5 per day is darn good money!!! 😆 😆
ge bob you could not even take feymer and the kids to jollie bee on 5 bucks
Re: post #5. Just curious and I'm not trying to be a smart-a** here but am really wondering… Low-cost, medium-cost housing equal low income families. How would they be able to afford solar energy systems? Even here in the US solar energy systems are still not as common as we'd like to think.
For a lack of a better name, I think we can regard the Philippines as a big "bedroom community" … People go there to retire, not necessarily to make money (unless one indulges in self-employment). But since majority of people make money by "selling their time," then making money is usually equated to finding a job. As some folks like to say, the 40-year-plan; go to school, find a good job and work till retirement.
Obviously the Philippines does not fit this mold, hence my thinking that it is now a bedroom community. The OFW phenomenon exemplifies this as millions of Filipinos go elsewhere to make the money to fund those left behind in their "bedrooms." 😆
My friend works in the call center industry use dto work for Amex now with Citibank – he is a team manager or whatever.
Youw ill be surprised to find that he has people working under him as call center agents – white people like Americans , Canadians, etc they make $300 -$400 a month ride jeepneys etc.
Many of these people it seems need to pay alimony and they don't want to so they move here, some have child pornography cases against them in US, some are sex offenders.
But the call center industry hires them to their american accent.
post #10 hhhmmm….interesting. Hope it's not true, I mean those offenders settling in the Phil.
#10 is TRUE!
SHUDDER! I just don't know why the companies hire the sex offenders? Probably figured they wouldn't "hurt" anyone in the workplace? 🙁
Post #10. Are you serious? They settle there to stay away from paying alimony? Then they could not come back, if they have skipped paying, because that's contempt of court. I don't think that's a wise move, for the long term, that is. It's just not worth it to be jeopardizing one's whole lifetime of choices just to get back at an ex-spouse. But again, that's just me…
Some people are sooo strange, LOL! I thought my friend was joking when he told me about it, lol lol turns out he was serious. He has been in call center industry almost a decade so he he's pretty much seen, heard it all.
The topic came up when we were discussing my Filipinos all want to leave and work abroad, and then he said well some Americans come here to work too, WE WERE FLABBERGASTED when he told us about it, LOL LOL!
Well about the sex offenders since they have to regsiter everytime they move in the US and neighbors are informed, maybe they prefer to be here and be anonymous? OMG!
😈
Post #12. Oh, no, that's just not a wise assumption that they would not hurt anyone in the office.
Once upon a time I inherited the office of a deranged stalker who shot 7 of his co-workers because he got jilted by an officemate, ex-girlfriend. Apparently he was so obsessed with this ex-love that he followed her everywhere, stalked her with love letters, etc. The lady got a restraining order and he got furious! So he came back with a shotgun and went on a rampage, shot & killed 7 and wounded several others.
This was a high-profile case and was made into a TV movie. I remember Brooke Shields portrayed the ex-girlfriend.
The guy's still in prison.
To think I was occupying his office w/o my knowing it. Nobody told me — until much later, when an officemate who had befriended me by then, whispered the story to me, in confidence… "hey, you have a historical home here, did you know that??" Needless to say, I got spooked and asked to be given a new office immediately.
OMG Angie, yes that's scarey having his office.
Aren't they obligated to tell you? ABout office you are using I mean?
Like in houses in some states theyare obliged to tell yousomeone was killed in thathouse, etc etc.
Response to #15.
Well, that is so true. It makes sense if that were the reason for moving there. Here in the US, sex offenders are just in a no-win situation even if they make an earnest effort to put their past behind them. I think you can even request for a CD from law-enforcement to find out who the sex offenders are and if any of them are in your neighborhood. (I don't know this first-hand as I have not requested it but a friend told me that it's an option. Have not verified yet the accuracy of this information.)
Hi Bob,
question regarding work, I hear of lots of foreigners who own bars, restaurants, resorts etc. Legally their property and business is owned by their wives but the foreigner seems to manage the business. From what I have gathered they work for free but take a large cut of the profits for themselves, which is understandable as they may have paid for the business in the first instance. Or the wife will earn a good wage from their business and share it with her husband. Its the same as wages but its unofficial wages. Am I making sense? and can you get in trouble for doing this?
Regards
Phil
The discussion about sex offenders and such working at call centers has gone far enough. Please drop the topic now. Any further posts on the topic will not be accepted. This really has nothing to do with the subject of the article, and I do not want this topic to become a topic on this site. Thank everybody for cooperating.
Hi Phil – This is really a gray area. It probably won't get you in trouble, but if you do something that upsets people, it can certainly be used to get you in trouble if they want to push it. Best to either get a work permit, or stay out of the business. Frankly these foreigner owned bars and such rarely make much money anyway.
Hi Phil
I may not be intirely correct here but, my understnading is that you can own the business(as long as you pay the BIR) but, cannot own the property. For that reason, my car, house and lot, and two coconut farms are all in my wifes name.
having a bar is probably not the wisest investment. There's is, probably, only one way to make money in that business and, that is to have GRO's….not a wise decision either!!
Bob……Five bucks a day not good???!! That would equal around 200PHP which would probably be about 5000PHP a month. That would cover my groceries and utilities quite well.
Hi frank san giorgio – IN my case, I couldn't even pay half of my electricity bill on $5 per day!